While most individuals venturing into crocodile habitats remain vigilant about their surroundings in water and on land, research indicates that they should also be attentive above them.
Despite the absence of distinctive physical traits suggesting climbing ability, it has been discovered by University of Tennessee researcher Vladimir Dinets that crocodiles do climb trees all the way to their tops.
During a study conducted on climbing behavior, researchers observed crocodiles in locations across Australia, Africa, and North America. Their findings recorded instances of crocodiles ascending as high as six feet from the ground. However, Dinets mentioned that he had received anecdotal accounts from individuals familiar with crocodiles, claiming the reptiles had been seen climbing up to nearly 30 feet.
Dinets noted that crocodiles do not possess the foot and toe structures typically associated with climbers. Nonetheless, particularly juvenile and smaller crocodiles were observed managing to climb vertically, whereas larger crocodiles mostly navigated sloped trunks and branches, demonstrating the remarkable agility of these reptiles, he explained.
“They simply proceed slowly,” he remarked. “In time, they reach their goal.”
The findings were published in Herpetology Notes, in collaboration with Adam Britton from Charles Darwin University in Australia and Matthew Shirley from the University of Florida.
The researchers speculate that crocodiles climb to survey their territory and to bask in sunlight.
“The most common sightings of tree-basking were reported in regions where ground basking spots were limited, suggesting that these creatures sought alternative methods to regulate their body temperature,” the authors stated.
“Additionally, their cautious behavior implies that climbing enhances their ability to monitor potential threats and prey.”
Individuals familiar with crocodiles have been aware of this climbing capability for many years, according to Dinets, but this study marks the first comprehensive investigation into their climbing and basking habits.
Dinets was also a co-author of a widely discussed study that illustrated how crocodiles utilize sticks and twigs for hunting, balancing nesting materials on their snouts just above the water to attract birds. The crocodiles would wait patiently for hours and strike when a bird came close.
This notable discovery marked the first documented instance of tool use among reptiles and the inaugural example of predators synchronizing lure usage with their prey’s seasonal behaviors, as noted in a press release from the University of Tennessee.
The recent climbing research implies that paleontologists studying extinct species should exercise caution when interpreting fossils, Dinets added.
“If crocodiles were extinct and we only had fossil evidence, one wouldn’t deduce their climbing ability due to the lack of physical adaptations,” Dinets explained.
“Assumptions derived from fossils, he noted, can be “far less accurate than one might presume.”
